UK in a Rest Crisis: Over Half of Brits Never Feel Rested
Britain’s poor rest habits signal a “public health concern”, warns Clinical psychologist, Dr. Gracie McLaven
Rest is absolutely vital for our mental health. It’s during these quiet moments that our brain is able to process thoughts, regulate emotions, and consolidate memories. Without rest, our minds stay in a constant state of overload, which can lead to increased stress, irritability, and difficulty coping. Our nervous systems become dysregulated, our emotional reserves get depleted, and even small tasks can start to feel unmanageable. Alarmingly, more than half of Brits (53%) reveal that they never feel like they get enough rest, that’s according to new research launched during Mental Health Week (12th-19th May).
The survey of 2,000 UK adults, conducted by Platinum Spas, explores the state of British relaxation and the impact it has on our wellbeing. Worryingly, it found that the nation could be operating in a rest deficit, as the average person hasn’t felt “rested” for almost two months. Plus, one in twelve haven’t felt rested or recharged in half a year! These figures aren’t surprising given that, on average, Brits only get 3 hours and 13 minutes of rest time per week (not including time spent asleep). Even more concerning is that a quarter of people in the UK (28%) rest for under 1 hour per week!
Commenting on the research, Dr Gracie McLaven, founder and clinical psychologist at Brain Body Wealth said, “Sadly, I’m not surprised by these findings. I hear this a lot in the therapy room, but that doesn’t make it any less alarming.”
Dr McLaven continues, “When over half the UK population never feels properly rested, we have to see this as a serious public health concern. As a population, we‘ve become disconnected from the importance of rest. It’s not laziness or indulgence, it’s a biological and psychological need.”
The impact of poor rest
When asked about any negative impacts that a lack of rest or relaxation has on their wellbeing, respondents in the study admitted that low mood (47%), decreased motivation (41%), and increased feelings of anxiety (37%) were the most common effects. When rest is consistently neglected, it’s no surprise we see sharp rises in burnout, anxiety, and low mood. Over half of Brits are currently suffering from “burnout”. In addition, almost half (47%) revealed they feel burnt out or stressed on a daily basis.
How much rest do we need to feel mental health benefits?
Just 15-30 minutes of rest can be enough to see benefits. The majority of people find this amount of time to have a positive impact on their happiness, wellbeing, and mental clarity. Physical energy, patience, and productivity can also see positive changes from this short period of rest.
Dr Gracie said, “As with most things in life, it’s less about quantity and more about quality. Just 15 minutes of intentional, high-quality rest can make a meaningful difference to our mood, focus, and emotional wellbeing.”
Why are we struggling to rest? Guilt and performative habits.
An overwhelming 90% of UK adults said that they struggle with or find barriers to resting. The biggest barrier was revealed to be the pressure we put on ourselves to “not be lazy” (almost a third say they struggle with this). The second, turning to performative rest instead of true rest. For example, scrolling on our phones or binge-watching boxsets (over a quarter say this is a barrier for them).
Dr Gracie McLaven commented, “It was interesting to see that almost half (49%) of Brits admit feeling guilty when taking time to rest, and over a third (40%) feel judged by others – in the therapy room, I often hear people express guilt around resting. When we explore this, it almost always traces back to the belief that their self-worth is tied to productivity. The idea that, “I’m only valuable if I’m doing more”.
“The problem with this mindset is that it sets us up to constantly fall short. There’s always more we could be doing, so we rarely feel like we’ve done enough.
“There’s a beautiful Italian phrase,: ‘Il dolce far niente’ which quite simply means ‘the sweetness of doing nothing’. It captures the joy of rest for its own sake, not as a reward, not as laziness, but as something deeply human and nourishing. In our fast-paced, hyperproductive culture, we’ve lost that art. But reclaiming rest as something intentional, valuable, and even joyful could be one of the most powerful shifts we make for our mental wellbeing.”
For further information, visit the Platinum Spas’ full research findings.